History
The State Theatre was originally the Ithaca Security Company auto garage & dealership from 1915 until 1928 and opened December 6, 1928 as a vaudeville palace. In the early 1930s, the theater thrived primarily as a cinema house. With the advent of television & suburban movies houses, a second movie screen was added in the 1970s, dividing the balcony from the main house. The theater closed in the 1980s due to financial difficulties & the demands of long-deferred maintenance. Rampant disrepair forced the City of Ithaca to condemn the theater in 1997. In May 1998 Historic Ithaca purchased the failing structure & established the State Theatre Restoration Project. Between 1998 & December 2001, Phase I of the State Theatre Restoration Project was completed & the theater reopened on December 5, 2001. In Spring 2009, The State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc., a newly formed 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, purchased the State Theatre from Historic Ithaca.
Specialties
The State Theatre of Ithaca, NY is the crown jewel of Tompkins County's arts community, hosting over 70 events a year, including concerts, theatrical productions, Broadway tours, dance performances, lectures, readings, and community performances. More information is available online at www.stateofithaca.com.